Social reminders

ABSTRACT

Techniques for providing reminders based on social interactions between users of electronic devices are described. Social reminders can be set to trigger based on social interactions of users. For example, a user may request to be reminded to discuss a certain discussion topic with a particular phonebook contact, when the user next encounters the contact.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Ser. No.62/057,996, filed on Sep. 30, 2014, entitled SOCIAL REMINDERS, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to computer-based reminders,and more specifically to providing reminders based on socialinteractions between users.

RELATED ART

Electronic devices can display reminder alerts that remind users to takecertain actions at certain times. For example, a meeting reminderreminds a user to attend a scheduled meeting. A conventional reminder iscreated by specifying a date and/or time with a reminder message. Thereminder may then be displayed at the specified date and/or time.Conventional reminders are not as helpful when it is infeasible for theuser to specify a date and/or time ahead of time.

SUMMARY

Techniques for providing (e.g., creating and outputting) reminders thatare based on social interactions between users are described below.These types of reminders may be referred to as social reminders. Socialreminders need not be created based on a pre-determined date and time;for example, a social reminder can be set to display when the user comeswithin range of another user (e.g., when the devices of both users comewithin a threshold range).

In some embodiments, a method for managing social reminders at anelectronic device includes: receiving input representing userinstruction to provide a reminder in the future, the instructionidentifying an entity; after receiving the input, detecting an externalelectronic device, the external electronic device associated with theentity; in response to detecting the external electronic device,determining whether the external electronic device is within a thresholdproximity; and in accordance with a determination that the externalelectronic device is within the threshold proximity, providing thereminder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for managing social reminders.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate an exemplary social reminder.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an exemplary social reminder.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary process for managing social reminders.

FIG. 5 illustrates a functional block diagram of an electronic deviceconfigured to manage social reminders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examplesthat can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can beused and structural changes can be made without departing from the scopeof the various examples.

Attention is directed to techniques for providing reminders based onsocial interactions between users of electronic devices. These remindersmay be referred to as social reminders. User instructions to createsocial reminder may be received through graphical user interface inputand/or voice input. The instruction includes a social setting in whichthe electronic device should provide the reminder. The condition can be,for example, physical proximity with another person. For instance, anexemplary social reminder can be created in response to the instruction“create a reminder reminding me to ask Joe about the promised documents,the next time I see him.” In this way, electronic devices can providereminders based on social context, without relying on the a priori inputof a specific date and/or time at which the reminder should bedisplayed. Social reminders are particularly helpful when it isinfeasible to predict when the user will next see Joe.

FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary system 100 for providing social remindersin some embodiments. Exemplary system 100 includes user device 102 (ormultiple user devices 102) that can provide a user input interface orenvironment. User device 102 can include any of a variety of devices,such as a cellular telephone (e.g., smartphone), tablet computer, laptopcomputer, desktop computer, portable media player, wearable digitaldevice (e.g., digital glasses, wristband, wristwatch, brooch, armbands,etc.), television, set top box (e.g., cable box, video player, videostreaming device, etc.), gaming system, or the like. User device 102 canhave display 112. Display 112 can be any of a variety of displays, andcan also include a touchscreen, buttons, or other interactive elements.In some embodiments, display 112 is incorporated within user device 102(e.g., as in a touchscreen, integrated display, etc.). In someembodiments, display 112 is external to—but communicatively coupledto—user device 102 (e.g., as in a television, external monitor,projector, etc.).

User device 102 can include or be communicatively coupled to humaninterface device (HID) 114, which can capture user-input (e.g., textinput, touch input, voice input, etc.). In some embodiments, HID 114 isa keyboard. For example, HID 114 can be a virtual keyboard on atouchscreen capable of receiving text entry from a user (e.g., detectingcharacter selections from touch). In another example, HID 114 is avirtual keyboard shown on a display (e.g., display 112), and a pointeror other indicator is used to indicate character selection (e.g.,indicating character selection using a mouse, remote control, pointer,button, gesture, eye tracker, etc.). In some embodiments, HID 114 is ahandwriting recognition device. For example, HID 114 can include a touchsensitive device capable of recognizing handwritten characters. In someembodiments, HID 114 is a voice input device, for example a microphone.

User device 102 can also include processor 104, which can receive textentry from a user (e.g., from HID 114) and interact with other elementsof user device 102 as shown. In one example, processor 104 can beconfigured to perform any of the methods discussed herein, such ascreating and outputting social reminders. In other examples, processor104 can cause data (e.g., entered text, user data, etc.) to betransmitted to server system 118 through network 116. Network 116 caninclude any of a variety of networks, such as a cellular telephonenetwork, WiFi network, wide area network, local area network, theInternet, or the like. Server system 118 can include a server, storagedevices, databases, and the like and can be used in conjunction withprocessor 104 to perform any of the methods discussed herein. Forexample, processor 104 can cause an interface to be provided to a userfor create a reminder and can transmit some or all of the user input toserver system 118, and can cause reminders to be displayed on display112.

In some embodiments, user device 102 includes storage device 106, memory108, reminders database 110. Reminders database 110 may be stored onstorage device 106. The functions or methods discussed herein can beperformed by a system similar or identical to system 100. It should beappreciated that system 100 can include instructions stored in anon-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as memory 108 orstorage device 106, and executed by processor 104. The instructions canalso be stored and/or transported within any non-transitory computerreadable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or deviceand execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a“non-transitory computer readable storage medium” can be any medium thatcan contain or store the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, or device, a portable computer diskette(magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), a portable optical disc such as CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD,DVD-R, or DVD-RW, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secureddigital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks, and the like.

It should be understood that system 100 is not limited to the componentsand configuration of FIG. 1, but can include other or additionalcomponents in multiple configurations according to various embodiments.For example, user device 102 can include a variety of other mechanismsfor receiving input from a user, such as an optical sensor, camera,gesture recognition sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, orthe like. Additionally, the components of system 100 can be includedwithin a single device, or can be distributed among multiple devices.For example, although FIG. 1 illustrates reminders database 110 as partof user device 102, it should be appreciated that, in other embodiments,one or more parts of database 110 can be stored remotely as part of aremote storage system such as server system 118.

Attention is now directed to an exemplary provision of social reminders,with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C. As shown FIG. 2A, electronic device 200receives input 204, from user 202, instructing the device to create areminder. In some embodiments, device 200 is user device 102 (FIG. 1).Notably, the user's instructions 204 to create a reminder do not providea specific time or date for the reminder to occur; rather, theinstructions identify a social context in which the reminder should betriggered: namely, the device is to provide a reminder when user 202meets someone named “Joe.”

In the illustrated embodiment, user input 204 to electronic device 200is provided verbally. U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No.12/987,982, entitled “Intelligent Automated Assistant,” filed Jan. 10,2011, describes techniques for accepting verbal commands. Theapplication is hereby incorporated-by-reference in its entirety for allpurposes. In some embodiments, other types of input modalities, such astouchscreen input, are accepted for purposes of managing socialreminders.

Also, even though user instructions 204 refer to social interactionswith a person named Joe (who may be a phonebook contact), the underlyingcomputing processes carried out by device 200 may rely on (among otherthings) interactions with electronic device(s) that are associated withand Joe. More specifically, in some embodiments, device 200 considersJoe to be present when an electronic device associated with Joe isdetected. Restated, the presence of Joe's electronic device(s) is takenas a proxy for Joe's presence. In some embodiments, device 200 considersJoe to be present when actual detection of Joe's presence is made, suchas through voiceprint identification as received through a microphone ofdevice 200.

Turning to FIG. 2B, user 202 encounters Joe (user 212) later in the dayat the company cafeteria. The encounter may be a chance encounter,meaning that user 202 did not have prior knowledge of Joe's whereabouts.As device 200 (of user 202) and Joe's electronic device 210 come intoproximity, device 200 is able to detect and identify electronic device210 as being associated with Joe. This determination may be made invarious ways. For example, device 200 may recognize Joe as a phonebookcontact who is associated with a cellular telephone number and/or ane-mail address. Device 210 may transmit (e.g., broadcast or othercommunicate) an identification token to device 200 that permits device200 to determine that device 210 belongs to the phonebook contact knownas Joe. In some embodiments, external electronic device 210 is userdevice 102 (FIG. 1), and the relevant communication between devices 200and 210 occurs over one or more communications modalities such asBluetooth Low Energy and/or WiFi.

Turning to FIG. 2C, as device 200 detects Joe's device 210, electronicdevice 200 displays reminder 206. Reminder 206 reminds user 200 to askJoe about an upcoming meeting, in accordance with user instructions 204depicted in FIG. 2A. In this way, electronic device 200 provides user202 with a relevant reminder, based on the social context of user 202and Joe (user 212) being physically proximate.

Attention is now directed to another exemplary provision of socialreminders, with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. As shown in FIG. 3A,electronic device 300 receives input 304 from user 302 instructing thedevice to remind user 302 and his daughter about bringing gym clothes toa gym event. In some embodiments, device 300 is device 102 (FIG. 1). Asshown in FIG. 3B, when user 302 encounters external electronic device310—which is associated with his daughter (user 312)—electronic device300 performs two actions: First, electronic device 300 displays socialreminder 306 alerting user 302 to remind his daughter about bringing gymclothes. Second, electronic device 300 transmits instructions to hisdaughter's electronic device 310, instructing device 310 to create areminder. As depicted in FIG. 3C, this additional reminder 314 isdisplayed by the daughter's electronic device 310 on Friday, alertingher to bring her gym clothes. In this way, electronic device 300 is ableto provide user 302 with a relevant reminder based on the context ofmeeting his daughter. In addition, electronic device 300 enables thedaughter's electronic device 310 to provide a relevant reminder on theday of the relevant event.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 4, which illustrates exemplary process400 for providing social reminders. In some embodiments, process 400 isperformed by electronic devices 200 and 300 to carry out the socialreminder functionalities discussed above with reference to FIGS. 2-3.

At block 402 of process 400, input representing user instructions toprovide a reminder in the future is received. The instructions identifya social context in which the reminder should be triggered. In someembodiments the instruction specifies a social context involving anentity. As used herein, an “entity” refers to a person or thing. In theabove-described examples of FIGS. 2-3, the social context is physicalproximity with a person, such as Joe (user 212). In another example, theinstruction may be to “remind me to disconnect and take my AppleTV whenI am near it.” In this instance, the entity is the AppleTV device.Optionally, in response to receiving the instruction, a recordrepresenting the reminder is stored into a database such as reminderdatabase 110 (FIG. 1).

At block 404 of process 400, the electronic device that is performingprocess 400 detects an external electronic device associated with theentity specified at block 402. In some embodiments, the detection ismade wirelessly via a direct communication link between the two devices,such as via a Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ad hoc WiFi connection,and the like. In some embodiments, the detection is made over a sharednetwork, such as a local area network having one or more WiFi accesspoints. In some embodiments, the electronic device that is performingprocess 400 recognizes an external electronic device as being associatedwith a specified entity based on contacts information. For instance, inthe example of FIGS. 2A-2C, electronic device 200 may recognize “Joe” asa phonebook contact, possibly even a user-designated (e.g., favorite)contact. In that instance, the phonebook provides information such astelephone number and/or e-mail address usable to identify those devicesof the contact. In some embodiments, association between an entity and adevice is determined based on information being broadcasted by thedevice(s). For instance, a phone or network-enabled television set-topdevice may broadcast information usable to determine its identity, suchas by broadcasting a universally unique identifier (UUID) or othersuitable token.

At block 406, responsive to detecting the external electronic device, adetermination is made as to whether the external electronic device iswithin a threshold proximity. As used herein, “threshold proximity”refers to physical proximity. In some embodiments, physical proximity isdetermined based on distance between devices. Distance can be measuredin various ways. In some examples, distance is measured by having theexternal electronic device emit sound at a certain loudness (e.g., soundpressure level, or SPL), and detecting how loudly (e.g., in terms ofSPL) the emitted sound is received at the location of the electronicdevice, in order to determine the distance based on attenuation of thesound. In some examples, distance is measured by comparing GPS output asdetermined by two relevant devices. In some examples, distance ismeasured by obtaining location information from a location service, suchas a location beacon and comparing the obtained location informationagainst that obtained by other devices. Distances of one to twenty feetis generally useful as thresholds for deciding whether two people arephysically proximate for purposes of social reminders.

In some embodiments, physical proximity is determined based on theability of devices to communicate via limited-range communicationmodalities. For example, the Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) communicationtechnology is commonly accepted as having a range of about 30 inches insome operational settings, and the Near Field Communication (NFC)technology is commonly accepted as having a range of about 5 inches insome operational settings. Two devices that are in communication via theBTLE or NFC protocols can be considered to be proximate for purposes ofsocial reminders based on these understood ranges.

In some embodiments, physical proximity between two devices isdetermined by comparing environmental conditions as perceived by thedevices. For example, both the electronic device (that is performingprocess 400) and the external device can record their respectivemicrophone inputs, and the recordings are then compared to determine ifa common sound source is within the microphone range of both devices. Inanother example, both the electronic device (that is performing process400) and an external device can capture camera input, and the capturedvisual information are then compared to determine if a common object ispresent in the field of view of both devices. In these examples, thepresence of common element(s) in the environment can be interpreted asindicators of physical proximity between the devices.

At block 408, in accordance with a determination that the externalelectronic device is within the threshold proximity, the reminder isprovided. In some embodiments, providing the reminder involvesdisplaying a visual message alerting the user to the reminder, such asthe display of reminder 206 (FIG. 2C). In some embodiments, providingthe reminder involves audibly informing the user of the reminder using aspeaker of the electronic device. In some embodiments, providing thereminder involves providing a haptic output. Alternatively, inaccordance with a determination that the external electronic device isnot within the threshold proximity, processing returns to block 406where the device awaits a more appropriate time for providing thereminder.

Optionally, at block 408, an instruction is sent, from the electronicdevice that is performing process 400 to an external electronic device,instructing the external device to create a reminder. In someembodiments, this additional reminder is related to the initial reminder(displayed at block 408) in that the two reminders at least partiallyoverlap in content. For example, additional reminder 314 shown in FIG.3C is a follow-on reminder to reminder 306 shown in FIG. 3B, and bothreminders stemmed from user input 304 (FIG. 3A).

Attention is now directed to additional, e.g., optional, aspects ofsocial reminders. As discussed above, a social reminder may be createdwhen a user identifies an entity (among other things) by name. Theexamples of FIGS. 2A-2C are directed to this approach in that user 202identifies user 212 as the subject of reminder 206 by the proper name of“Joe.” In addition to this approach, in some embodiments, an entity thatis associated with a reminder can be identified by profile informationinstead of by name. As used herein, “profile information” is informationdescribing an entity other than the proper name (e.g., proper noun) ofthe entity. For example, profile information can indicate whether a useris a soccer fan. Put another way, it is possible to create a socialreminder whereby an electronic device reminds its user “to refrain frommentioning the current score when I next encounter a soccer fan”.

In some embodiments, as part of detecting the presence of an externalelectronic device, at least two communication modalities are utilized.Consider, for instance, that in order to reduce power consumption, anelectronic device may forego detection using a second (subsequent)communication modality until a first (initial) communication modalityhas detected a relevant electronic device. In some examples, anelectronic device uses GPS information to initially determine if it isnear an external electronic device. When the GPS information indicatesproximity, the electronic device additionally powers up a NFC wirelesscommunication module requesting further communication with the externalelectronic device. Restated, the NFC detection modality may remain(partially if not entirely) powered down until GPS information indicatesthat a likelihood that a nearby device is within NFC communicationrange.

In some embodiments, the first communication modality is predetermined.For example, when social reminders are provided using a cellular phone,the first communication modality may be a cellular-based modalitybecause cellular communication circuitry is very likely to beconsistently powered-on by the cellular phone. In another example thefirst communication modality can be Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy asthese protocols are generally accepted as having low power requirements.In some embodiments, the first communication modality is a changeabledefault modality. For example, when social reminders are provided usinga smartphone having multiple communication capacities, the firstcommunication modality may be cellular- or WiFi-based depending onwhether the smartphone is in the airplane mode.

In some embodiments, the first and second communication modalitiesutilize application data objects to determining whether an externalelectronic device is likely nearby. The application data objects can becalendar data objects, for example, meaning that the electronic devicecan parse calendar entries to determine if a user of the electronicdevice is scheduled to meet with a particular contact at the currenttime. A finding that the users are scheduled to meet can be interpretedas increasing the likelihood of the two users being nearby. Use of theother data objects, such as emails and text messages, are also possible.

In some embodiments, the first and second communication modalitiesinclude a modality that relies upon comparing the Service Set Identifier(SSID) of a network connected to the electronic device against the SSIDof a network connected to an external electronic device to determine ifthe two devices are connected to the same wireless network and thuslikely proximate to one another.

In some embodiments, the first and second communication modalitiesinclude a modality that relies upon comparing the cell identification ofa cellular phone network connected to the electronic device against thecell identification of a cellular phone network connected to an externalelectronic device to determine if the two devices are in the same celland thus likely proximate to one another.

In some embodiments, the first and second communication modalitiesinclude a modality that relies on recorded sound. For example, anelectronic device can record ambient sound using its microphone anddetermine if the recording contains an identifiable voice of a knowncontact. Voice identification (e.g., voiceprints) may be stored with orotherwise associated with phonebook contacts that are accessible to theelectronic device. As another example, an external electronic device canemit an ultrasound signal that registers on the microphone input of anelectronic device (if the two devices are sufficiently proximate) and beused by the electronic device to identify the external electronicdevice. Sound frequencies that are above generally-accepted humanhearing thresholds at reasonable SPLs, such as frequencies higher than15 kHz, can be used. Preferably, frequencies that are producible bymass-produced speakers and detectible by mass-produced microphones, yetoutside of the human-hearing threshold at those producible SPLs, areemployed (e.g., 15-20 kHz).

In some embodiments, the first and second communication modalitiesinclude a modality that relies on recorded images. For example, anelectronic device can record images and/or video using its camera anddetermine whether the recorded imagery includes an identifiable face.Face recognition data, including data useful for SIFT-based imagecomparison technologies, may be associated with phonebook contactsaccessible to the electronic device.

In some embodiments, the providing of a reminder includes sending a dataobject to the external electronic device. For example, a document or acontact vCard can be sent from the electronic device to the externalelectronic device. In some embodiments, the providing of a reminderincludes activating a feature on the electronic device and/or theexternal electronic device. For example, both the electronic device andthe external electronic device can begin to play the same song tosupport a music flash mob.

FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of exemplary electronic device500 configured in accordance with the principles of the variousdescribed examples. The functional blocks of device 500 can beimplemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware andsoftware to carry out the principles of the various described examples,including those described with reference to process 400 of FIG. 4. Asshown, device 500 includes display unit 502. Display unit 502 isconfigured to display interfaces for providing social reminders. Userinput interface 504 is configured to receive user input includinginstructions to create reminders. In some embodiments, user inputinterface 504 is integrated with display unit 502 to form a touchscreenfor receiving user input via a virtual keyboard. In some embodiments,user input interface 504 includes a microphone for receiving verbalinstructions from a user. Electronic device 500 further includes RF unit506 which may have circuitry for communicating with external electronicdevices using one or more communication modalities, such as cellular,WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, NFC communications, and the like.

Display unit 502, user input interface 504, and RF unit 506 are coupledto processing unit 508 which includes an external device detection unit510 and reminder unit 512. Processing unit 508 can be configured toreceive input from a user such as spoken input described with referenceto FIGS. 2-3. Upon receiving user instructions to create a reminder,reminder unit 512 may register into a storage location (such asreminders database 110 depicted in FIG. 1) a corresponding record ofreminder. Reminder unit 512 is also configured to trigger an output ofthe reminder at the appropriate time, e.g., by displaying a visualreminder on display unit 502.

External device detection unit 510 is configured to aid in thedetermining when a reminder should be triggered. External devicedetection unit 510 may receive communication data from RF unit 506indicating the presence of the nearby devices. External device detectionunit 510 may be configured to determine whether an external device isphysically proximate, using the techniques discussed above withreference to FIG. 4 (e.g., block 404 and 406). For example, externaldevice detection unit 510 may be configured to power up a secondcommunication modality (for obtaining a finer determination of theproximity a nearby device) only after a first communication modality hasidentified the relevant device as being likely nearby. Based oninformation obtained through one or more communication modalities,external device detection unit 510 can indicate to reminder unit 512that a relevant external electronic device is physically proximate.

Based in information received from external device detection unit 510,reminder unit 512 may cause device 500 to provide an indication of thereminder (e.g., by displaying a visual reminder on display unit 502, byproviding a haptic feedback, by providing audible output through aspeaker (not shown) of device 500, so forth). In some embodiments,reminder unit 512 may also cause device 500 to send an instruction tothe detected external electronic device to create a correspondingreminder, such as reminder 313 described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3C.

It is understood by persons of skill in the art that the functionalblocks described in FIG. 5 can be combined or separated into sub-blocksto implement the principles of the various described examples.Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possiblecombination or separation or further definition of the functional blocksdescribed herein.

Although examples have been fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes andmodifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art (e.g.,modifying any of the systems or processes discussed herein according tothe concepts described in relation to any other system or processdiscussed herein). Such changes and modifications are to be understoodas being included within the scope of the various examples as defined bythe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: at an electronic device:receiving input representing user instruction to provide a reminder inthe future, the instruction identifying an entity; after receiving theinput, detecting an external electronic device, comprising: detecting,by a microphone of the electronic device, an audio input; identifying,in the detected audio input, a voice corresponding to the entity; anddetermining, based on the identified voice, that the external electronicdevice is associated with the entity; in response to detecting theexternal electronic device, determining whether the external electronicdevice is within a threshold proximity; and in response to identifyingthe voice and in accordance with a determination that the externalelectronic device is within the threshold proximity, providing thereminder.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in accordancewith a determination that the external electronic device is beyond thethreshold proximity, forgoing the providing the reminder.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: in accordance with a determination thatthe external electronic device is within the threshold proximity:sending an instruction, from the electronic device to the externalelectronic device, instructing the external electronic device to createa second reminder related to reminder represented by the input receivedat the electronic device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theinstruction identifies the entity by identifying a phonebook contact. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction identifies the entity byprofile information.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting theexternal electronic device further comprises detecting the externalelectronic device using at least two communication modalities.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the at least two communication modalitiescomprise a first and a second modality, and detecting the externalelectronic device further comprises, at the electronic device: detectingthe external electronic device using the first modality; and foregoingdetection of the external electronic device using the second modalityuntil the electronic device has detected the external electronic deviceusing the first modality.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the firstmodality is selected from the group consisting of Bluetoothcommunication and WiFi communication.
 9. The method of claim 7, whereindetecting the external electronic device using the first modalitycomprises: obtaining a calendar entry representing an event scheduledfor the current time; and determining that the entity is listed as aparticipant in the scheduled event.
 10. The method of claim 6, whereindetecting the external electronic device using the at least twocommunication modalities comprises: comparing a first Service SetIdentifier (SSID) name with a second SSID name, the first SSID namerepresenting the current WiFi connection of the electronic device andthe second SSID name representing the current WiFi connection of theexternal electronic device.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein detectingthe external electronic device using the at least two communicationmodalities comprises, at the electronic device: capturing, by a cameraof the electronic device, an image; identifying, in the captured image,the entity; and in response at least in part to identifying the entityin the captured image, providing the reminder.
 12. The method of claim6, wherein detecting the external electronic device using the at leasttwo communication modalities comprises, at the electronic device:detecting a sound emission from the external electronic device; and inresponse at least in part to detecting the sound emission, providing thereminder.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sound emission has afrequency of 15-20 kHz.
 14. The method of claim 6, wherein detecting theexternal electronic device using the at least two communicationmodalities comprises, at the electronic device: detecting, by themicrophone of the electronic device, a second audio input; receivingdata representing a third audio input, the third audio input detected bythe external electronic device; determining whether the second and thethird audio inputs contain an audio component in common; and in responseat least in part to a determination that the second and the third audioinputs contain an audio component in common, providing the reminder. 15.The method of claim 6, wherein detecting the external electronic deviceusing the at least two communication modalities comprises, at theelectronic device: capturing, by a camera of the electronic device, afirst image; receiving data representing a second image, the secondimage captured by the external electronic device; determining whetherthe first and the second images contain imagery of a common object; andin response at least in part to a determination that the first and thesecond images contain a common object, providing the reminder.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: in response to detecting theexternal electronic device, sending a file to the external electronicdevice.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the file is a vCard.
 18. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: in response to detecting theexternal electronic device, invoking playback of a song on theelectronic device.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:sending an instruction to the external electronic device instructing theexternal electronic device to playback the song.
 20. The method of claim1, wherein providing the reminder comprises providing a haptic output.21. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the reminder comprisesproviding an audio output.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein providingthe reminder comprises providing visual output.
 23. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readableinstructions, which when executed by one or more processors of anelectronic device, causes the one or more processors to: receive inputrepresenting user instruction to provide a reminder in the future, theinstruction identifying an entity; after receiving the input, detect anexternal electronic device, comprising: detecting, by a microphone ofthe electronic device, an audio input; identifying, in the detectedaudio input, a voice corresponding to the entity; and determining, basedon the identified voice, that the external electronic device isassociated with the entity; in response to detecting the externalelectronic device, determine whether the external electronic device iswithin a threshold proximity; and in response to identifying the voiceand in accordance with a determination that the external electronicdevice is within the threshold proximity, provide the reminder.
 24. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 23, further comprisingcomputer-readable instructions for causing the one or more processorsto: in accordance with a determination that the external electronicdevice is beyond the threshold proximity, forgo the providing thereminder.
 25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, furthercomprising computer-readable instructions for causing the one or moreprocessors to: in accordance with a determination that the externalelectronic device is within the threshold proximity: send aninstruction, from the electronic device to the external electronicdevice, instructing the external electronic device to create a secondreminder related to reminder represented by the input received at theelectronic device.
 26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23,wherein detecting the external electronic device further comprisesdetecting the external electronic device using at least twocommunication modalities.
 27. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 26, wherein the at least two communication modalities comprise afirst and a second modality, and detecting the external electronicdevice further comprises: detecting the external electronic device usingthe first modality; and foregoing detection of the external electronicdevice using the second modality until the electronic device hasdetected the external electronic device using the first modality. 28.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the firstmodality is selected from the group consisting of Bluetoothcommunication and WiFi communication.
 29. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 27, wherein detecting the external electronic deviceusing the first modality comprises: obtaining a calendar entryrepresenting an event scheduled for the current time; and determiningthat the entity is listed as a participant in the scheduled event. 30.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein detecting theexternal electronic device using the at least two communicationmodalities comprises: comparing a first Service Set Identifier (SSID)name with a second SSID name, the first SSID name representing thecurrent WiFi connection of the electronic device and the second SSIDname representing the current WiFi connection of the external electronicdevice.
 31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, whereindetecting the external electronic device using the at least twocommunication modalities comprises: capturing, by a camera of theelectronic device, an image; identifying, in the captured image, theentity; and in response at least in part to identifying the entity inthe captured image, providing the reminder.
 32. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 26, wherein detecting the external electronicdevice using the at least two communication modalities comprises:detecting a sound emission from the external electronic device; and inresponse at least in part to detecting the sound emission, providing thereminder.
 33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, whereindetecting the external electronic device using the at least twocommunication modalities comprises: detecting, by the microphone of theelectronic device, a second audio input; receiving data representing athird audio input, the third audio input detected by the externalelectronic device; determining whether the second and the third audioinputs contain an audio component in common; and in response at least inpart to a determination that the second and the third audio inputscontain an audio component in common, providing the reminder.
 34. Anelectronic device comprising: one or more processors; memory storingcomputer-readable instructions, which when executed by the one or moreprocessors, causes the one or more processors to: receive inputrepresenting user instruction to provide a reminder in the future, theinstruction identifying an entity; after receiving the input, detect anexternal electronic device, comprising: detecting, by a microphone ofthe electronic device, an audio input; identifying, in the detectedaudio input, a voice corresponding to the entity; and determining, basedon the identified voice, that the external electronic device isassociated with the entity; in response to detecting the externalelectronic device, determine whether the external electronic device iswithin a threshold proximity; and in response to identifying the voiceand in accordance with a determination that the external electronicdevice is within the threshold proximity, provide the reminder.
 35. Thedevice of claim 34, wherein the computer-readable instructions furthercause the one or more processors to: in accordance with a determinationthat the external electronic device is beyond the threshold proximity,forgo the providing the reminder.
 36. The device of claim 34, whereinthe computer-readable instructions further cause the one or moreprocessors to: in accordance with a determination that the externalelectronic device is within the threshold proximity: send aninstruction, from the electronic device to the external electronicdevice, instructing the external electronic device to create a secondreminder related to reminder represented by the input received at theelectronic device.
 37. The device of claim 34, wherein detecting theexternal electronic device further comprises detecting the externalelectronic device using at least two communication modalities.
 38. Thedevice of claim 37, wherein the at least two communication modalitiescomprise a first and a second modality, and detecting the externalelectronic device further comprises: detecting the external electronicdevice using the first modality; and foregoing detection of the externalelectronic device using the second modality until the electronic devicehas detected the external electronic device using the first modality.39. The device of claim 37, wherein detecting the external electronicdevice using the first modality comprises: obtaining a calendar entryrepresenting an event scheduled for the current time; and determiningthat the entity is listed as a participant in the scheduled event.